From: The News (Pakistan) 5 May 1999
"NGOs guilty of promoting immorality, claims Binyamin"
Lashes out at NGOs for getting massive funds from foreign masters, vows to expose Ajoka, Shirkat Gah and HRCP's activities"
Punjab Social Welfare Minister Pir Binjamin Rizvi has said if the activities of the NGOs are not checked the country will be turned into an "East India Company" in the next eight years.
In a press statement here Friday, he said the NGO mafia should be eliminated and added that he would expose the activities of Ajoka, Shirkat Gah and Human Rights Commission.
"Is it a safeguard of human rights to give a chance to a girl to spend a night with her paramour?" Binyamin asked. He maintained these organisations were spreading vulgarity and obscenity in the name of human rights. He said the Human Rights Commission was trying to promote a "culture of adultery" and it wanted to create a generation which didn't even know about their parents, and when they grew up they would have no love for the country or Islam.
Binyamin said that NGOs, after registration, got huge funds, served their foreign masters and worked for some "vested interests." He said an NGO had destroyed the carpet industry &endash; delivering a severe blow to the economy and exports. He said in future, before registration, complete details would be gathered about all the office-bearers of the NGO. He added in the next three months he would expose the working of all the registered NGOs, while accusing them of creating hatred among different religions and communities. He said his department was gathering details about retired bureaucrats, politicians, officials etc. working in the NGOs and misusing and abusing their powers. Meanwhile The department of Social Welfare Punjab and its counterpart from Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) have mutually decided to weed out all NGOs which squeeze money from people in the name of Kashmir refugees.
A number of fake NGOs fleeced money from people by emotionally blackmailing them in the name of Kashmir, said Binjamin adding that his department would provide the names of such NGOs to the department of Social Welfare AJK and action would be taken against them.
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